Floor conveyor for card sliver cans



Oct. 18, 1960 G. B. REEVES FLOOR CONVEYOR FOR CARD SLIVER CANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 9, 1958 I INVENTOR GEORGE B. REEVES W @m /IMw ATTORNEYS Oct. 18, 1960 G. B. REEVES 2,956,663

FLOOR CONVEYOR FOR CARD SLIVER CANS Filed April 9, less 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR GEORGE B. REEVES Unite States Patent FLOOR CONVEYOR FOR CARD SLIVER CANS George B. Reeves, Fairfax, Ala., assignor to West Point Manufacturing Company, West Point, Ga., a corporation of Georgia Filed Apr. 9, 1958, Ser. No. 727,426

4 Claims. (Cl. 19819) This invention relates to conveyor mechanism, and in particular to a conveyor adapted to facilitate the handling of card sliver cans in textile mills. Card machines are commonly arranged in double banks or rows, with the de livery ends of two rows abutting a common corridor, in which an operator may manipulate the sliver cans, and in particular exchange empty cans for full ones upon dofiing the cards.

The recent adoption of larger sliver cans, about 18" in diameter, has made manual handling of the cans difficult, due to the bulk of the cans and the weight thereof when full. It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a floor conveyor for handling card sliver cans, to reduce the difficulty of and speed up the card dofling operation. A related object is to provide a floor conveyor occupying minimum space above and below the floor. The present invention offers the advantages of convenient installation, dependable operation and ea y maintenance. The invention, moreover, is safe, and does not damage the sliver cans handled thereby. Further objects will be in part evident and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention and the novel features thereof may best be made clear from the following description and the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a general plan view, somewhat diagrammatic, of an exemplary floor conveyor extending between two rows of textile cards;

Figure 2 is a vertical Sectional view through the conveyor, taken substantially on the line 22 of Figure l, on enlarged scale;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, on further enlarged scale;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the end structure of the conveyor trackway;

Figure 6 is an end view of the trackway end section of Figure 5, looking toward the lower left hand end thereof;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a central section of the conveyor trackway, and

Figure 8 is an enlarged view of two links of the conveyor chain, one of which is provided with an upstanding can engaging lug.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 illustrates the delivery ends of a first row of textile cards 10, 12, 16 and 18, and the delivery ends of an adjoining row of cards 20, 22, 26 and 28. The card rows adjoin a corridor 30 extending therebetween, in which the sliver cans 32 are placed to receive the sliver from the coiler heads of the cards. In accordance with the present invention, a floor conveyor indicated generally as 34 extends along the center of corridor 30, the conveyor extending the length of the card rows and a short distance beyond either end thereof.

The conveyor 34 comprises an extended trackway including a plate member 40, disposed substantially at the level of the floor 42, and side plates 44. As will be 'iee understood, the distance between the side plates 44 slightly exceeds the diameter of the bottom of a sliver can. A trough 46 extends along the centerline of the trackway, the trough being level and of even depth through the central section thereof, which is substantially coextensive with the card rows, as illustrated in Figure 1. A deeper trough 48 extends along one side of the trackway, being covered normally by one of the side plates 44, as illustrated in Figures 4, 5 and 7.

The central section of the trackway is adjoined at either end by an end section 50, which corresponds to the central section except that the center trough 52 thereof slopes downwardly. That is, each end section trough 52, at its high end adjoining the central section, is of a depth corresponding to the depth of trough 46, and slopes downwardly therefrom in the length of the end section to the depth of the side trough 48, as shown in Figures 5 and 6. By way of example, each end section 50 may be five feet long, and its trough 52 may slope downwardly one inch in that distance. in such case, it follows that in the central section the side trough 48 will be one inch deeper than the central trough 46.

At the outer end of each end section 50 is a sprocket housing 56, including a cover plate 58 which is level preferably with the side plates 44. Within each housing is mounted a sprocket 66, disposed with its axis vertical, as by the vertical mounting shaft 62. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, each shaft 62 may extend through the floor 42, and is suitably supported therein as by a bearing 64. As shown in Figure 2, one of the bearings 64 may be mounted for adjustment in direction longitudinal of the conveyor, for the purpose of suitably tensioning the conveyor, and the associated shaft 62 extends therebelow and mounts a drive sprocket 66, which is engaged by a drive chain 68. The drive chain 68, it will be understood, is driven through suitable gearing by a conventional reversible electric motor, not shown. The drive mechanism described may readily be disposed between floor beams, without projecting therebelow, so that no otherwise useful space is occupied thereby.

A conventional continuous link chain 70 encircles and engages the sprockets 62, and extends through the troughs of the trackway. As best shown in Figure 2, the sprockets 60 are disposed at a level corresponding to the side trough 48 of the trackway, whereby the conveyor flight extending through the side return trough carries to the sprockets on level. The other flight of the link chain extends from each sprocket through the sloped center trough 52 of the trackway end sections to the relatively elevated center trough 46 of the central section, this flight rising with the troughs 52 to the level of trough 46. It will be understood that the link chain 70 ordinarily rests on the trough bottoms, and is supported thereby.

A plurality of spaced lugs '72 are attached to a section of the conveyor and extend upwardly therefrom. As illusted in Figure 8, the lugs 72 may be metal blocks brazed or similarly joined to individual links 74 of the conveyor chain 76. The lugs 72 preferably correspond in spacing and total number to the associated cards, being appropriately spaced along a length of the conveyor corresponding substantially to the length of the card row. For example, if each card row includes six cards, twelve lugs may be provided, the spacing between lugs being approximately half the spacing between cards. Alternatively, six lugs may be provided, corresponding in spacing to the card spacing. It will be understood that the conveyor section bearing the lugs is something less than one-half the total length of the conveyor.

The depth of the center trough 46 of the central section of the trackway corresponds closely to the width of the link chain 70, whereby that portion of the link chain 70 extending through the trough 46 extends substantially to the upper surface of plate member 40. It will be recognized that lugs 72 on that section of the conveyor disposed within the trough 46 are accordingly disposed above the level of the plate member 40. In passing over either end section 50 in outward direction, the lugs descend below the level of the plate member 40, and of course below the level of the cover plates 58 of the sprocket housing 56. Lugs on that section of the conveyor extending through the return trough 48 are below the level of the covering side plate 44.

Function and operation of the invention will now be described in detail. One end of the conveyor ordinarily serves as a Work station, preferably the end at which the conveyor is powered, and controls for the reversible drive means may be readily provided at this point. Assuming that a sliver can 32 is in place at the delivery end of each card, and receiving sliver from the coiler head thereof, at the beginning of a doif the link chain 70 is disposed with all lugs thereof in the return trough 48 or under the sprocket cover plates 58. When the conveyor is not in operation, accordingly, the trackway is entirely clear between the side plates 44, and no lugs project therefrom to create a hazard.

To begin a dotting operation, the operator places an empty can on the trackway approximately at the work station W (Figure 1), and then operates the conveyor to bring a chain lug 72 up the adjacent end section 50 until the lug engages the bottom of the can and displaces it a short distance along the card row, or away from the work station. Another empty can may then be placed on the trackway at the work station, and this procedure repeated until empty cans are spaced along the length of the card row. As will be evident, the operator may remain at the work station throughout this operation.

Having placed the empty cans by means of the floor conveyor, the operator may proceed along the card row, replacing each full can with an empty one. At each card, the full can is moved only to the trackway, on the trailing side of the closest lug, and the empty can on the leading side of the same lug is put in its place under the coiler head. When the sliver cans have been changed for all of the cards, the operator may return to the Work station, and manipulate the conveyor in reverse direction. As each full can arrives at the work station the conveyor is stopped and the can removed. After removal of the last full can, the conveyor may be operated to carry the last lug under the adjacent sprocket cover plate 58, and the conveyor then remains in this safe condition until the next dofiing.

The conveyor may of course be combined with a single row of cards, or designed to service a single row or any other desired group of cards at one time, this requiring only appropriate selection of the number and spacing of 4 the chain lugs. While the chain link conveyor illustrated is inexpensive and readily available, it will be apparent that other types of conveyor elements may be used as well.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided by this invention a structure in which the various objects hereinbefore set forth, together with many practical advantages, are successfully achieved. As various possible embodiments may be made of the mechanical features of the above invention, all without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a floor, a double bank of textile cards arranged with delivery ends contiguous, a guideway disposed substantially in the plane of said floor and extending between said cards, an open trough extending along the centerline of said guideway, said trough including a level central section and end sections sloping downwardly therefrom, a return trough extending under a side portion of said guideway, a sprocket mounted with axis vertical under each end of said guideway, drive means engaged to one of said sprockets, a continuous chain conveyor encircling said sprockets and extending through said troughs, spaced lugs extending upwardly from a section of said chain, the depth of the central section of said open trough corresponding generally to the width of said chain whereby chain lugs passing over said central section extend above the guideway level, and the depth of said return trough being greater than the combined width of the lugs and chain whereby chain lugs passing through the return trough are below the guideway level.

2. The combination of claim 1, wherein said lugs correspond in number and spacing to said cards.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein the chain is void of lugs along a part of its length greater than the length of said central section.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein the drive means is reversible whereby the conveyor is movable in both directions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 797,610 Schaefer Aug. 22, 1905 1,487,326 Fuller Mar. 18, 1924 1,789,504 Uline Jan. 20, 1931 2,009,579 Ewend July 30, 1935 2,387,220 Wehle Oct. 16, 1945 2,740,515 Wilson Apr. 3, 1956 2,880,843 Dyar Apr. 7, 1959 

